The Bet That Changed Everything
by HikaruDesu
Summary: A high school student in Japan learns about a new game called “The World”. One of her friends bets that she would be hooked by the game. Rated T for future chapters.
1. The Bet

"Hey, Hikaru! Have you heard of that computer game that's just been put in the store?" Natsume asked her friend, swinging her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. Her blue eyes glanced at Hikaru curiously.

Hikaru rolled her own bright green eyes. "You mean that one called 'The World'? Yeah, I've heard of it." She brushed her hair out of her eyes. She was 16 years old, and a sophomore. She was 5'5" and had layered, shoulder length, brown hair with black streaks.

"What, you don't think you're gonna play it?" Natsume asked. She was the same age and grade as Hikaru, but was shorter by 2 inches. Her skirt was short, as usual. Hikaru's on the other hand, was long, reaching to her ankles.

"No, I don't think so." Hikaru said in a bored tone. "Kenji told me about it." Kenji was Hikaru's older brother.

"And it didn't sound interesting to you?"

"Nope."

Natsume shook her head. They were on the train headed home. When the train stopped at their station, they got off and headed for the game shop where Kenji worked.

Kenji looked up when the two girls entered the store. "Oh, it's you guys." He sighed. "What d'you want?" Kenji was 18 and 6'7". He had brown hair in a wolf-cut. His eyes were a dark green.

"Actually, I wanted to get the game that just came in." Natsume told him, walking up to the counter.

"I figured as much." Kenji reached under the counter and handed Natsume a package. Then he looked at Hikaru. "You want it too? It'll cost you all of your allowance."

"No thanks. I don't find it interesting." Hikaru told him. Kenji raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Natsume purchased the game and together the two friends left.

They stopped at the corner where they usually part ways. Natsume turned to Hikaru and offered her the game.

"I wanna make a bet." Natsume told her. "You play this and if you like it, then you agree to help me go out with Yukito and you can keep it. If you get bored of it before an hour is over, then I'll help you win Yukito."

Hikaru thought for a moment. Yukito was the boy at school that they both had a crush on. They were certain that he had a crush on one of them, but they weren't sure who. It was a very tempting offer. So tempting in fact, she had to take it.

"Fine. I'll call you in an hour." Hikaru told her.

"We'll see…" Natsume said, smiling mischievously. They parted ways, Hikaru carrying the bag with the game in it. When she got home, she kissed her mother on the cheek and raced up the stairs to her room. She went straight to her computer after closing the door behind her and dropping her school bag on her bed. She booted up her computer and inserted the CD. It took a few minutes to install it, but once it was finished, she put on her M2D.

"Welcome…to The World." An electronic voice told her. Hikaru clicked on 'new character'. It asked her to make a username, so she did. Her character's name was Karumi and she was a Twin Blade character. She had waist length red hair, bright green eyes (which were the same as Hikaru's). She had cat ears and a tail, and wore a bell around her neck. She wore a teal, ankle length skirt with slits in both sides, starting in the middle of her thigh. Around her waist was a belt that hung a little loosely. Her shirt was white and was cut a little above her bellybutton and the sleeves ended at the elbow.

Once she had created her character, she entered the first city, Mac-Anu. There, she looked around. Other players were walking around and talking. Karumi didn't know how to move or talk yet, but she could look around. Unfortunately, she was in the way of other people getting to the portal.

A party of three approached her. The leader walked up to her, then stopped when she didn't move. He looked like a Twin Blade, with black armor/clothing and silver hair. His eyes were red.

"Hey, noob! Get out of my way!" He yelled at her.

"I'd love too…" Karumi muttered under her breath, glaring at the character in front of her.

"What'd you say?!" He yelled again. Karumi blinked.

"You can hear me?" She asked, surprised. The player leaned forward and inspected her closely.

"You really are a noob, aren't you?" He asked. "Didn't you know that your M2D has a microphone that allows you to talk to other players without typing…?"

Hikaru felt ashamed of herself. Her brother had told her that before, but she hadn't been playing close attention.

One of the character's party members stepped forward. He had a long, blue ponytail and wore tan clothing/armor that looked a little bit like a dress. "Aren't you being a little rude, Haseo?" He asked.

"Shut up! She's in our way!" Haseo said, glaring at the blue haired character.

"Let me guess. You don't know how to move yet." He said, ignoring Haseo.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Karumi told him sheepishly.

"KUHN!!! DON'T IGNORE ME!!!" Haseo yelled. Kuhn continued to ignore him as he showed Karumi how to move her character.

She finally got her character out of the way. "Thank you!" She told Kuhn with relief.

"No problem!" He told her. "Oh, here. Take my member address. Call me if you need me!"

"Ah! Okay! Here's mine!" Karumi said, sending him her username. Kuhn smiled at her as he and his party members teleported out. Karumi sighed in relief. That Haseo was scary!

She shook her head, and turned to the teleport. Choosing the lowest possible field, she went to train her character.

As she trained, she found that she liked the game. It was interesting and fun. Of course, it might be more fun if you had a friend who could level up with you.

Karumi reached level 10 before she decided to head back to town. Once there, she sold some items and bought new armor and weapons. Another cool thing about the game was that the character's appearance changed when you put on new items.

Karumi was about to go to another field to train when she received an email. She logged out and checked it.

**Sender: Kuhn**

**Subject: How're you doing?**

**Hey, Karumi! How do you like this game so far? I'm sorry about Haseo's attitude. He gets like that every once in a while. He's actually a nice guy!**

**Oh, by the way, would you like to meet some of my other friends? We're meeting in a low level field.**

Karumi smiled happily. She responded:

**I'd love to! Just tell me when and where!**

In a few minutes, Kuhn responded, giving her the coordinates. She logged back in and went there. Once there, she looked around. There wasn't a sign of anyone.

"Huh." Karumi said. She shrugged and decided to search the entire dungeon.

She was about to give up hope when she found a group of people at the end of the dungeon. Among them was Kuhn. Spotting her, he grinned and walked over.

"Hey Karumi! Glad you could make it!" He told her, patting her on the shoulder.

"I almost couldn't find you!" Karumi accused him. "Next time give me an exact place, please?"

"Oh, sorry! I usually meet my friends at the end of the dungeon." Kuhn told her.

Karumi glanced behind him at all the characters gathered together. "Well, now I know why there wasn't a lot of monsters…"

Kuhn laughed and guided her to the other players. One of them turned around.

"Oh, is this the girl you met earlier?" She asked. She was a Harvest Cleric with short blonde hair and a green dress. Her hat was white, as were her boots, which reached up past her knees.

"Yeah, the one Haseo gave a hard time." Kuhn said, laughing. "Karumi, this is Atoli." Karumi smiled at the other girl shyly.

"Oh, it's wonderful to meet you! Let's be friends!" Atoli said, grabbing Karumi's hand.

"Ah, okay!" Karumi said, startled.

"Come on, I want you to meet some people!" Atoli told her, dragging her away from Kuhn. She introduced Karumi to a few people. Karumi was a bit confused, but she was sure that their names were Pi, Silabus, and Gaspard.

Then, another character joined them. Karumi recognized him instantly as Haseo. Atoli was still chatting with someone, so she didn't notice him. Haseo glanced around and saw Karumi. He walked over.

"What are you doing here?" Haseo asked Karumi. She was about to respond when Atoli turned around.

"Oh! Haseo! Have you met Karumi?" She asked him enthusiastically. Karumi stifled her laugh.

"Yeah I've met her." Haseo said, glaring at Karumi. Karumi, knowing that Haseo was about to start yelling again, sighed. Then another player joined them.

"Oh, you're that girl from earlier…The one who reminds me of Mia…" He said. He was a Blade Brandier and his armor was purple and tight fitting and had a cap with roses on it. His long blue hair was braided.

"Anything cat-like reminds you of Mia…" Haseo muttered. The player ignored him.

"Um." Karumi said, confused.

"Oh, Karumi, this is Endrance." Atoli told her helpfully. Karumi smiled at Endrance, but he just continued to stare at her.

"Anyways, why are you here?" Haseo asked again, changing the subject.

"Kuhn invited me." Karumi told him.

"So?" Haseo asked rudely. Karumi glared at him.

"SO, if you want to yell at someone for my being here, then yell at him. I'm leaving." Karumi told him angrily. She stalked out of the dungeon and teleported to another area. Once there, she cooled off her anger by taking it out on the monsters.

"Hey, Hikaru, I thought you said you weren't interested in that game!" Kenji's voice interrupted her. She jumped and took of her M2D guiltily. She turned towards her door and saw her brother leaning against the door frame.

"I made a bet with Natsume…"She started, looking down at her watch. Three hours had already passed. "And…It looks like I lost it 2 hours ago."

"Oh?" Her brother said, raising his eyebrow. Rolling her eyes, Hikaru told him about the bet.

"Heh. So let me guess…You like the game." Kenji said in his big-brother tone. Hikaru stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, in that case, you can help me." Kenji said. He held up a parcel in his hand. "I bought the game."

"Oh really? Are you asking me for help?" Hikaru asked him, raising an eyebrow. Kenji blushed slightly and looked away. "Okay. I'll help."

Kenji started to say something, then stopped, staring at her. "Your not going to tease me?"

"No, not right now. Maybe later. I'm just a little pissed off right now."

"Oh? What happened?"

"I'll tell you later."

Kenji shrugged and left to get his laptop. Hikaru turned back to her game. She finished the battle she was in and 'ported back to town. Then she removed her M2D again.

Kenji came back with his laptop and set it on Hikaru's desk. He went through the installation and character creation. Then Hikaru told him how to move, and she put her M2D back on.

Kenji's character's name was Braizer and he was a Edge Punisher. He had long, spiky red hair. His eyes were smoky grey. He wore a black, sleeveless, open vest with out a shirt underneath and had a lot of belts wrapped around his pants ad wrists.

Karumi grinned at him. "You ready to train?"

"Yes, senpai." He responded glumly. He grinned. They teleported to a low level area.

After a while, they moved to a different area. It seemed familiar to Karumi.

"Oh no…" She said, recognizing it.

"What's wrong?" Braizer asked.

"Can we go to a different area?"

"Why? There's monsters here!" Braizer ran ahead of her and started a battle. Karumi sighed and went to help him. They battled a few other monsters before Braizer spotted some other players headed towards them.

"Oh great." Karumi said, resigned. One of the players waved and ran up to them.

"Hey Karumi! So this is where you went! We've been looking for you!"

"Hello Kuhn." Karumi said. Braizer glanced at her.

"What's wrong? Atoli told me you yelled at Haseo and left. Have you been here the whole time?" Kuhn asked her, curious.

"No. I went to other fields, then helped my brother create his character." Karumi said, pointing at Braizer. At that point, the other players had caught up with them. Karumi recognized them as Atoli, Endrance, and Haseo. She glanced at Haseo, then away. She was still mad at him.

"This is your brother?" Kuhn asked, surprised. Then he offered his hand to Braizer. "It's nice to meet you! My name is Kuhn."

Braizer accepted the hand. "I'm Braizer, Hi- I mean, Karumi's older brother." Karumi rolled her eyes. Atoli introduced herself and the others excitedly. Endrance was still staring at Karumi. She sighed and took off her M2D.

"I'm gonna log off. I should probably call Natsume and tell her she won the bet." Hikaru told her brother. He lifted his M2D and glanced at her.

"Hikaru, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Later."

Kenji shrugged and put his M2D back down. Hikaru put hers back on also and said good bye to the other players. Then she logged off.


	2. The School

-1The next day, Hikaru walked into the schoolyard glumly. Natsume had laughed her head off when her friend called her 2 hours after the time limit. Now Hikaru was afraid to face her friend. But she didn't have a choice.

"Hikaru!" Hikaru flinched and turned to find the last person on earth she wanted to see at that moment.

"Hi Natsume…" Hikaru responded.

"So, are you going to keep your end of the deal?" Natsume asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes…" Hikaru sighed. There was no helping it. A deal was a deal. Sadly.

They entered the building and stopped by their lockers to grab their books. Then they headed to their class.

"Good Morning!" Natsume called cheerfully as she entered the classroom. 

"Good morning…" Hikaru echoed her glumly, her shoulders sagging. 

"Good Morning Natsume, Hikaru." Some of their classmates responded. A couple of girls immediately surrounded Natsume and followed her to her desk, chatting loudly. Hikaru walked to one of the windows and dropped her backpack next to her desk and sat down. She slumped forward and put her head on her desk.

"Hey, Hikaru, what's wrong? You don't look so happy. Did something happen?" A familiar voice asked from in front of her. Hikaru turned her head without lifting it and looked at Ryou Misaki, one of her friends from middle school. Although they never really hung out, Hikaru trusted him (more than Natsume) with just about any of her secrets and problems. He was as tall as her brother, with light brown hair cut to his earlobes. His eyes were a lighter brown than his hair, and when he was angry, they seemed to have a tint of red.

"It's a LONG story…" Hikaru sighed. Ryou raised any eyebrow and glanced at Natsume, who was being VERY cheerful. 

"Did she…Suck out your energy, or something…?" He asked hesitantly.

"Ha-ha. Funny." Hikaru rolled her eyes. Ryou grinned sheepishly and sat backwards in the chair in front of her.

"So what happened?" He asked, crossing his arms over the back of the chair and resting his chin on his arms. Hikaru sighed.

"Last night I made a bet with her. She won." Hikaru turned her head again, so she could stare at the top of her desk.

"And…? The bet was…?" Ryou prompted her. She sighed again.

"She bought that game that just came in. The RPG called 'The World'. she gave it to me and said that if I didn't get bored of it in an hour, I had to help her hook Yukito and I could keep the game. If I DID get bored, she'd help me get him. But…" Hikaru stopped, embarrassed.

"But…?" Ryou prompted again.

"I called her TWO HOURS after the time limit, and all she did was laugh…" Hikaru's voice was a little muffled. She heard Ryou make a noise and glanced up at him. His face was a little red and he was covering his mouth with one hand.

"AH! You're laughing at me too…" Hikaru sobbed, letting her head fall back onto the desk with a bang. With that, Ryou burst out laughing, drawing the attention of some of their classmates. Hikaru kicked him in the shin without looking up. He squeaked slightly and covered his mouth again. Some of the other boys laughed at him. Hikaru sighed again and turned her head to look out the window.

"Oh, hey Yukito!" Ryou called. Hikaru flinched.

"Hey Ryou!" Yukito replied. He had walked over to where they were sitting. "Oh…Is something wrong, Hikaru?"

Hikaru sat up and laughed weakly. "No, I'm fine…"

"Ah, I see. Well, that's good." Yukito smiled. He was shorter than Ryou by 5 inches and had black hair in the same cut as him. His eyes were a nice grey color.

"Yeah…" Hikaru glanced at Natsume, who was watching her expectantly. Hikaru sighed again and laid her head down again. Yukito looked at Ryou, confused. Ryou just shrugged. After a few moments, Hikaru heard him walk away and greet Natsume. She also heard Ryou start laughing again.

"I hate you." Hikaru grumbled.

"I know you love me, just admit it." Ryou responded. She snorted. "So anyways…You play 'The World' now?"

Hikaru sat up again. "Yeah. Do you play it?"

"Yeah. What's you character's name? Maybe we can play together."

"My character's name is Karumi. Your's?"

Ryou blinked and swallowed. "Karumi…?"

Hikaru looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Uh, I'm-" Ryou was interrupted by the bell ringing. They both jumped and Ryou hurriedly sat in his chair properly. The teacher entered the room and class began.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, what did Yukito say to you this morning?" Natsume asked Hikaru as they rode the train to their station.

"He just asked me if I was okay."

"And…? What'd you tell him?" Natsume poked her arm.

"That I was fine. Then I pretended to ignore him." Hikaru sighed. "So he'd go talk to you."

Natsume laughed. "Thanks Hikaru!" she said happily. "And you know, just because I'm trying to get Yukito, doesn't mean you can't get a guy."

Hikaru glanced at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"We-ell…You seem to get along pretty good with that one guy…What's his name? The brown haired one?"

Hikaru blushed slightly. "Ryou. And he's just a friend. That's it."

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh."

"I'm serious!" Hikaru said defensively. Her friend just shook her head.

They got off the train at their station, and walked to their corner in silence. They said their good byes and went their different ways. 

Once she was home, Hikaru went to the kitchen for a snack and noticed a note on the dining room table. She picked it up and read:

_Hikaru,_

_I'm going to visit your father. I'll be home late. I've already told Kenji. He's going to be making dinner. I'll give your father your love and show him your report card. Don't stay up too late!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

"Ah…" Hikaru blinked. Her father was in a coma in Tokyo's best hospital. He had been in a major car crash, one that killed 5 people. Her father was the only one to survive. If you call laying in a hospital bed with a bunch of machines connected to you surviving.

Hikaru crumbled up the note, fighting back tears. It had been 3 years since she'd seen him. Shaking her head, she threw the note away and got her snack. She then headed upstairs to her room and booted up her computer. She logged on to 'The World'.

Karumi stretched, moving away from the portal. She was considering what she was going to do when someone ran into her.

"Hey!" She cried out, stepping back. The character who had run into her stumbled back and tripped, falling onto their back.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" He cried. Karumi leaned down and offered him her hand. He stared at it, surprised.

"You okay?" Karumi asked him. His character looked like a girl, but his voice was definitely male. He was a Shadow Warlock and was wearing a large oversized jester's hat with ornaments resembling the sun and the moon hanging from it, with the moon symbol raised. He had straight, shoulder length blonde hair. His outfit was harlequin and he had a black backpack.

"Y-yeah, I think so…" He stuttered. He accepted the offered hand and Karumi pulled him to his feet.

"My name's Karumi. What's your's?" She asked.

"B-Bo…" He responded shyly. 

"So, why are you in such a hurry?" Karumi asked, curious.

"I-I'm supposed to meet someone…"

Karumi smiled and moved to the side. "Then I wont keep your friend waiting."

Bo stared at her for a moment, then smiled shyly and ran to the portal. Karumi shook her head and headed to a nearby shop.

As she headed out to a field, she remembered that Ryou hadn't given her his character's name. Shaking her head at her friend's forgetfulness, Karumi started training.

Right as she started her first battle, she received mail. With a sigh, Karumi defeated the monster and logged out. The mail was from Kuhn.

**Sender: Kuhn**

**Subject: Hey!**

**Hey again, Karumi! Could you meet me in Mac-Anu? I'll be waiting at the portal!**

Karumi logged back in and went to the city. She had just teleported in when she spotted the blue-haired character. With him was Haseo and, much to Karumi's surprise, Bo.

"Hey, Kuhn! You wanted to see me?" Karumi asked, approaching them. Haseo just looked at her, but not with the hatred he had the day before.

"Actually, Haseo did." Kuhn said, pointing at the red eyed character. Karumi looked at Haseo, an eyebrow raised. Haseo took a deep breath and glanced away.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday, Hikaru." Haseo said, embarrassed. Karumi's eyes widened.

"How do you know my real name!" She asked, shocked. Haseo, surprised, looked at her.

"What d'you-" He started. "Oh. Oops."

Kuhn looked from his friend to Karumi, and back again. "What do you mean, 'oops'?" He asked.

"I forgot I didn't tell her my name." Haseo replied. Karumi looked at him suspiciously. He took a deep breath and said, "It's me, Ryou."

Karumi gasped in shock. Then, a few moments later, she started laughing. Haseo and Kuhn stared at her, confused. Bo, forgotten, also watched her.

"I-I'm sorry! It's just…I was wondering why you never told me your character's name today. Now I understand." Karumi said, calming down.

"And…you laugh because you understand…?" Kuhn asked carefully.

"She's always like that." Haseo said, turning his nose up at her. Karumi grinned evilly at him.

"Be careful. I can still kick you here." She threatened. He stepped back slightly.

"Um…" They turned to look at Bo. "I-I have to go…Saku wants to play with Endrance…"

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry we dragged you here just for this." Kuhn said. Bo shook his head and logged out. Karumi glanced at the portal and saw a familiar character.

"Hey! Braizer! Over here!" She called to the Edge Punisher. He spotted her and came over, smiling.

"Hey Hi-I mean, Karumi!" He said, thumping her lightly on the shoulder. "Hey Kuhn, Haseo."

"Hey." The two characters responded.

"So…What's the plan for today?" Braizer asked. Karumi rolled her eyes at him.

"You can't stay on for long, remember?" She reminded him.

"Yeah, but I can still play for now, can't I?" Braizer retorted. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Why can't you stay on for long?" Kuhn asked, curious.

"He has to make dinner, since my mom's out." Karumi said. Remembering where her mom was, she fought back a surge of tears again.

Haseo noticed. "She's with your dad again, isn't she?" Karumi nodded. Braizer glanced sharply at Haseo.

"How do you know where our mom is?" He asked, suspicious. Karumi sighed.

"He's my friend from middle school. The one I told you about." She explained to her brother.

"Really? Well, it's nice to finally meet you, even if it's not in real life." Braizer said, offering Haseo his hand. Haseo accepted it with a half smile.

"Same here." He responded. The two guys shook hands. Kuhn watched with interest, looking from them to Karumi.

Karumi wasn't paying attention. She was hearing a sound that didn't seem like it would fit in the game. She listened, trying to identify it.

"Do you guys hear something…?" Karumi asked, turning her head this way and that, trying to hear it better.

"No…" They responded after a moment. Karumi frowned.

"I'll be right back." She said. She then removed her M2D.

Once Hikaru had done that, she heard the sound. It was the telephone! With a laugh, she got up and went downstairs to answer it.

"Hello?" Hikaru asked, picking up the phone.

"Hikaru? It's Mom." Hikaru's eyes widened.

"Mom? What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked, concerned.

"It's your father." Her mom said. She sounded excited. "He's awake!"


	3. The Confession

-1Hikaru could barely believe what she'd just heard. "Wh-what?!" She exclaimed.

"Your father's awake! Hurry and tell Kenji!" Her mother said, sounding close to tears. Then she hung up.

Hikaru slowly lowered the phone back to the receiver. Then, as slowly, she turned and walked to the stairs. She stood at the bottom of them, staring blankly. Then, suddenly, as the knowledge sunk in, she cried out and ran up the stairs. Her brother jerked around to look at her when she burst into his room. He still had his M2D on.

"Hikaru, what-"

Hikaru interrupted him. "It's Dad! He's awake!"

Kenji removed his M2D to stare at her, his eyes wide. "Are you sure…?" He whispered. Hikaru glared at him.

"Hurry up! Mom's expecting us!" She told him sternly. Then, unable to hold her excitement, she raced out of his room and into her own. She went to her computer and jammed on her M2D.

Kuhn and Haseo were still there, watching the other two characters with concern. Karumi grinned at them.

"Sorry, but we gotta go. It's a family emergency!" She told them. Braizer pulled on her arm impatiently. They were about to log off when Haseo cried out, "Wait!"

Braizer logged out, but Karumi stayed, looking at her friend. "Is it your dad?" Haseo asked. When she nodded, he gasped.

"He's awake!" Karumi said excitedly. She then logged out.

"Hikaru! Hurry up!" Kenji called up to her. Hikaru left her computer on and raced down the stairs. On the last couple of steps she tripped and fell face forward. Her brother grabbed her arm and helped her up.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. Hikaru nodded and ran to grab her jacket. She was about to open the front door when Kenji grabbed her shoulder. She turned to look at him impatiently. He was holding a damp towel, which he applied to one of her eyebrows.

Hikaru gasped as her eyebrow stung. When Kenji removed the cloth, she saw that there was blood. He was about to apply the cloth again when Hikaru made a noise of disgust and threw herself outside. Kenji sighed and followed her.

They half walked, half ran to the train station. They boarded the train that was headed to Tokyo and sat impatiently for the duration of the ride. When the train stopped at Tokyo station, they both ran out of the train.

Hikaru was about to run straight to the hospital, even though it was more than a couple of miles away, when Kenji stopped her.

"What?!" She nearly exclaimed. Kenji shook his head.

"It'll take to long for us to walk-sorry, run-so why don't we just call a taxi?" He said, keeping his voice calm. His little sister stared at him for a few moments, then nodded, the relief obvious on her face.

After about five minutes, the taxi came and drove them to the hospital. Hikaru waited impatiently as Kenji paid the driver. Then, with Kenji restraining Hikaru from running, they walked into the hospital. One of the nurses recognized them instantly and hurried them onto an elevator.

"It's been so long since I saw you two!" The nurse said. "I'm so glad that Mr. Sonoma is awake now!"

Hikaru smiled at the woman, but she was still impatient. The elevator wasn't moving fast enough for her. When The elevator finally stopped, Hikaru didn't even wait for the doors to open completely. She was halfway down the hall when her brother called her name. She spun to face him, annoyed. He was grinning and pointing to his left.

"He's down here." Still grinning, he started walking in the right direction. He was halfway down the hall when Hikaru caught up to him, her cheeks red.

Their mother met them in the hall. "Oh, he's anxious to see you two!" She told them, tears on her cheeks. Hikaru walked into the room her mother pointed to while Kenji gave his mother a quick hug before following.

Kouji Sonoma sat in a bed in the middle of a very Spartan room. His black hair was tousled and his green eyes looked tired. He was smiling as he inspected his two children. Just looking at the three of them, you could tell they were related.

"Hikaru, you actually cut your hair." Their father commented, looking at his youngest child. Hikaru smiled, tears in her eyes.

"You were always after me to cut it." Her chin wobbled as her eyes spilled. Her father lifted his arms to her. With a sob, Hikaru ran to her father and hugged him fiercely.

"I missed you…" She said, crying.

"It's okay." Her father reassured her. She laughed and stepped back. Kenji stepped forward and grinned at his father.

"So, Kenji, did you look after our girls?" Their father asked. Kenji grinned in reply.

"She's not missing any fingers." Kenji said, meaning Hikaru.

"Hey! I've gotten better at cutting vegetables!" She protested. After a pause, all three of them started laughing. Their mother came in, frowning slightly. When she saw that they were okay, she relaxed and smiled. She came over to stand next to Kenji. Glancing at Hikaru, she frowned again.

"Hikaru, where'd you get that cut?" she asked sharply.

"Huh? Oh, that." Hikaru grinned sheepishly. "I fell down the stairs." Her family laughed.

"Ah, same old Hikaru." Kouji looked at his daughter lovingly. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Just then, a doctor came in. He looked at them, frowning.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Sonoma needs to rest. He should be ready to go home in a few days. But until then, he needs rest." The doctor informed them. They hastily said good bye to their father, who was grinning at the doctor sheepishly.

--A week later--

Hikaru walked happily into school. She had been happy since her father came home a few days before. And today, it seemed as if nothing could stop it.

"He-ey! Hikaru!!" Someone called. She turned and saw Natsume running toward her. Hikaru grinned happily and waved to her friend.

"Hey! What's up?" Hikaru said cheerfully. Natsume handed her an envelope.

"Could you give this to Yukito? For me?" Her friend asked. Hikaru took the envelope.

"Sure! No problem!" Hikaru resumed her walk into the school building. Natsume raced ahead. By the time Hikaru walked into the classroom, she was already seated, her friends surrounding her. Hikaru walked to her desk, humming.

"You look cheerful." Ryou told her, grinning. She grinned back at him. He sat down as he usually did, facing her.

"What's that?" He asked, noticing the envelope in her hand.

"Oh, Natsume wanted me to give it to Yukito." Hikaru responded. Ryou raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious!"

"Okay then…" He didn't sound convinced. In fact, he looked worried. Hikaru was about to ask him what was wrong when Yukito walked up to them.

"Hey Ryou, Hikaru." He greeted them. He looked a little agitated.

"Hey." Ryou responded, looking away.

"Morning!" Hikaru said cheerfully. She glanced at Ryou, confused, then looked back at Yukito.

"Hey…Can I talk to you, Hikaru? Alone?" He asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Hikaru blinked at him. "Uh, sure…" She followed him out of the classroom and into the hallway. They were both unaware that Natsume and Ryou stood listening behind the closed door.

They stood in silence for a little bit before Hikaru remembered the letter in her hand. "Oh, this-"

"Hikaru, I wanted to tell you something…" Yukito said. It seemed as though he hadn't heard her start talking. He wasn't looking at her. Hikaru frowned slightly.

Yukito took a deep breath. "Ever since I first saw you, three years ago, I…I've liked you."

Hikaru froze.

"And, I was wondering…Would you…Would you be my girlfriend?" Yukito asked. He finally glanced up at her, his face red. Hikaru stood there, dumbfounded. Finally, she swallowed. She felt cold.

"I'm sorry," She was surprised at how calm her voice sounded to herself. Her heart pounding, she continued, "But there is someone else I like." She paused for a moment. The she held out the envelope. "Here. This is from someone who likes you."

Yukito's shoulders slumped, but he accepted the envelope. Hikaru turned and walked back to the door. She was surprised to find her two friends standing in the doorway, staring at her. She swallowed, trying to moisten a suddenly dry mouth.

"What?" She asked them coolly. They both just shook their heads and stepped out of her way. Without looking at either one of them-or anyone for that matter-she walked to her desk and sat down.

Ryou and Natsume stood beside the door, staring at her. When the teacher walked in, they both jumped in surprise and ran to their own desks.

After school, Hikaru walked home alone. Natsume had to stay behind to help one of her clubs set up for a festival the school was hosting. Hikaru's Photography club was helping, but no one had asked her to help. She wasn't sure if it was because of the way she'd turned Yukito down, or because her father was finally home, but she felt a little left out.

With a sigh, Hikaru entered the train station. She had only walked a couple steps when someone called her name. She looked around and saw her parents waving to her. She smiled and ran to them, holding her arms out to hug her father.

"Mom, Dad! What're you doing here?" She asked them, curious. Her father chuckled.

"I came to see how my little girl is doing, of course! Your mother came along to ensure herself of my health." Kouji said, glancing at his wife. Hikaru felt a pang of jealousy, but ignored it. She'd find someone she could love, too. She grinned at her parents.

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, Father, but I'm not a little girl anymore." Hikaru informed him, crossing her arms over her chest. Her father raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Did someone confess their love for you today or something?" He asked. Hikaru winced. He had always been able to predict what had happened, and it seemed that that particular skill hadn't dulled during his coma. Sadly.

Hikaru sniffed and turned away from them. "So what if someone did?"

Her mother smiled at her. "Well? What'd you tell him?"

"What makes you think it's a he?"

Her parents both laughed. Kouji turned to his wife.

"Well Hina? Whose side of the family do you think she got that from?" He asked, grinning. Hina shook her head, chuckling. Kouji turned back to his daughter. "So what'd you tell them?"

Hikaru sobered instantly. "If I'd accepted, do you think I'd have been walking alone?" She turned away and headed to her train, which had just come into the station. After sharing a worried glance, her parents followed. They spent the ride in silence, Hikaru's parents watching her anxiously. When the train stopped, they stepped off the train and walked the rest of the way home, her parents occasionally asking her questions about her day. By the time they reached their house, Hikaru was cheerful again. She ran up to her room and dumped her bag onto her bed and stopped, staring at her computer. She hesitated, then shook her head. She didn't have to play EVERY day, after all.

When she went downstairs, she found her parents waiting for her at the living room table, playing cards laid out in front of them. With a grin, Hikaru joined them. They played until Kenji came home, stopping only to order pizza for the night. When the pizza came, the whole family sat at the dinner table and ate happily.

After he finished eating, Kouji sat back with a sigh. With one finger, he beckoned to Hikaru. "Come, tell us about this boy you turned down."

Hikaru paused in the act of taking a bite from her pizza. Her brother choked, staring wide eyed at her. She sighed and lowered her food to her plate.

"His name's Yukito Torishi. I met him three years ago in 8th grade." Hikaru paused, then went on. "Both me and Natsume had a crush on him. We were sure he liked one of us, but we weren't sure who. And a while ago, we made a bet. If I lost I'd have to help her go out with him. If I won, she'd help me." She made a face. "I lost."

It was silent for a few long moments. Hikaru resumed eating, hoping SOMEONE would show compassion. But no, her devil of a brother started laughing. Her father joined him a second later. Only her mother had the decency to mask her laughter by coughing. Hikaru glared at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry Hikaru." Kouji said, struggling to stop laughing at his daughter's misfortune. Hikaru sniffed and continued eating.

"Hey, if he confessed to you, you could've said yes regardless of the bet." Kenji said, giving his sister an odd look.

Hikaru sat up so quickly her chair fell over. She ignored it, glaring at her brother. "You think I'd do that to my friend?! What kind of person do you think I am?!" Hikaru cried. Her family stared back at her. She righted her chair, threw away her pizza crusts, then stormed up the stairs to her room, unaware that there were tears on her face.

She threw herself onto her bed and lay there, thinking. She had liked Yukito a lot. But now he wasn't for her. She had dreamed of marrying him, but now those dreams were gone. He probably thought she was cold and rude. Maybe even that she thought herself better than others…

Hikaru shook her head, exasperated at herself. It was no use thinking such thoughts. But as she continued to lay there, her tears continued to stream down her face and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Kenji came upstairs a few minutes later to find his sister asleep with her light on. Shaking his head, he walked into the room. He was startled to see tears on her face. He wiped them away, kissed her forehead, then left, turning off her light.


	4. The Fever and Realization

-1"You knew!" Hikaru accused Ryou the next day when he walked into the classroom. Ryou sighed and walked to his desk, Hikaru close behind.

"Yes, I knew." He said with another sigh. He turned to face her. "You think I wouldn't have known, with Yukito telling me everything he was planning to do? With him telling me constantly how much he liked you? Not to mention how hurt he is now."

Hikaru swallowed and looked away. "I'm sorry. If you didn't want to hear him say all that, you should have told him."

"What type of person do you think I am? I wouldn't do that to my friend!"

"And what type of person do you think _I_ am? You're talking to me as if it were my fault, my decision!" Hikaru looked at him, trying to look him in the eye.

"Well, maybe it is!" Ryou yelled. Hikaru stared at him, wide eyed. Then she turned away before he could see the tears in her eyes.

"Do you really think that?" She whispered. Before he could answer, she ran out of the classroom. She kept running, even after the bell rang for school to start. When she did stop, it was in the nurse's office, where she called home.

"Hikaru, what's wrong?" Her dad asked when he picked up the phone.

"I'm not feeling very good. Can I come home?" Hikaru asked, trying not to cry.

"Sure, Honey. I'll come get you. Wait in your classroom." Kouji replied, worried.

"N-no! I'll wait in the nurse's office." Hikaru said hurriedly.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"'Kay…" Hikaru responded. She sniffed as she hung up the phone. The nurse had her lay in one of the beds until her father came. She lay there, staring at the ceiling and replaying what Ryou had said to her in her mind. Was it really her fault? And why was Ryou acting so angrily?

A hand on her forehead startled her out of her thoughts. Her father stood above her, a worried look on his face. Hikaru smiled weakly at him and sat up.

"Is your bag here?" Kouji asked his daughter.

"No, it's in my classroom." Hikaru replied.

"You wanna go get it?" Her dad asked. She shook her head. "Alright then, let's get you home. Your head feels a bit hot."

Twenty minutes later, Hikaru lay in her own bed, a damp cloth on her forehead.

"That's what I thought." Kouji said, looking at a thermometer. "You've got a fever."

"What?" Hikaru asked, startled. Her dad looked at her.

"That _is_ why you called home, right?" When his daughter looked away, Kouji sighed. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Hikaru replied. When her dad didn't leave, she sighed. "Okay, fine. I got in a fight with my friend."

"Who, Natsume?" Kouji asked, startled.

"No, Ryou." Hikaru sniffed and told him what happened. Her father chuckled and smoothed her hair out of her eyes.

"You've been having a couple of bad days, huh?" Kouji said sympathetically. Hikaru sniffed in reply. "Well, if you still have that fever tomorrow, you can stay home."

"Thanks, Dad," Hikaru smiled at him warmly. He patted her shoulder and left.

An hour later, he came back in with some soup for her to eat. Hikaru smiled at him and struggled to sit up. She stopped, feeling ill. Kouji pushed her back down and fed her himself.

"You shouldn't over exert yourself." He scolded her. She smiled at him again, her eyes closing. She was soon asleep.

--

Hikaru was woken by the sound of her father's voice.

"She's in here. I'll wake her up." She struggled to open her eyes and stopped when someone turned on the light in her bedroom.

"It's too bright!" She complained. Her father laughed.

"Come on sleepyhead. Time to get up. You have visitors." Kouji told her. Hikaru finally got her eyes to open and sat up, feeling considerably better. Her father laid a hand on her forehead again.

"You still have a fever…" He murmured. He turned to the bedroom door. "I'm sorry, but your visit is going to have to be short."

Hikaru rolled her eyes. "I feel a lot better, Dad." But even as she said that, she started coughing.

"Uh-huh. I'll bring up some tea." Kouji said, not believing her. When Hikaru made a face at him, he added, "Yes, with honey. I haven't forgotten."

He left the bedroom, squeezing past three people who were entering. All three were looking around her room, everywhere but her bed.

"Hey Natsume, Ryou, Yukito." Hikaru said, hiding her hands under her blankets.

"Hikaru…" Ryou started, looking at the floor in front of the sick girl's bed. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Hikaru smiled and her shoulders relaxed. "It's okay."

"No it's not! I had no right to do that!" Ryou exclaimed, still not looking at her. She ignored him and looked at Natsume and Yukito, who were standing close together.

"I take it you read the letter." Hikaru commented. Natsume blushed and nodded. Ryou was trying to get her attention, but still would not look at her. Yukito was the first to actually look at her.

"I didn't tell you this, but I actually liked both of you. And Natsume told me about the bet you two made." He explained.

Natsume grinned slightly. "I was surprised, though. I didn't know you liked someone else."

Hikaru grinned. The smile disappeared when she looked at Ryou. "You know, you can look at me. I'm not Medusa. I won't turn you to stone."

_That_ made him look at her, his mouth open to protest. He stopped and swallowed. Then, after clearing his throat, asked, "So who _do_ you like?"

Hikaru smiled again. She was about to say she didn't know when a thought hit her. She stopped and blinked.

"What's wrong? Did the fever burn the name out of you or something?" Natsume asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." Hikaru looked thoughtful for a moment then grinned. "The person I like is in 'The World'."

"You're kidding me!" Ryou exclaimed, his mouth dropping open.

"Not that I know of." Hikaru grinned at him. There was a knock at the door and Kenji entered, a cup of tea in one hand.

"Hey, Dad told me to bring this to you." He said, looking at Ryou and Yukito.

"Ah, thanks!" Hikaru said, accepting the cup from her brother. "Oh, Kenji, these are my friends Ryou and Yukito."

"Oh?" Kenji said, looking the two boys over. Then he smiled and offered his hand to Ryou. "I'm Kenji, Hikaru's older brother."

"We've met. I'm Ryou." Ryou said, shaking the older boy's hand with a grin.

"Oh, so you're Haseo! It's good to meet you in person." Kenji said before he turned to Yukito. After a pause, he offered his hand. "You must be Yukito."

Yukito shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you." He said politely before he stepped back to stand next to Natsume. Kenji noticed this and nodded approval.

"You guys want to stay for dinner?" He asked, looking at the three of them.

"Sure!" They replied. Hikaru started to get up, but her father appeared in her bedroom doorway.

"You guys can stay for dinner, but Hikaru has to stay here." Kouji said. Hikaru protested, but her friends grinned and waved goodbye to her. They filed out of her room.

"I hate you all!" She called after them.

"You love us, admit it!" Ryou called back. Hikaru sighed and leaned back against her pillows, sipping her tea, which was lukewarm.

"Yes," She whispered. "I love you."

Sorry this one is short! I hurt my arm, and it's really hard to type one-handed. I'll work on the next chapter once my arm is better. Please enjoy and review!


	5. The Second Fever

Chapter 5! YAY! My arm has gotten better, but it still hurts. Apparently, I hyper-extended it or something. NOT FUN! So, the chapters may be short for a while. Sorry!

Well, I hope you like this chapter. If you have any suggestions for future chapters, please let me know!

The next day, Hikaru woke up to her ceiling spinning above her. She gasped and started coughing. She rolled over and out of bed, bile rising in her throat. She swallowed and crawled out of her room to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, she staggered out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Her parents were seated at the table, talking. When they saw her, they immediately knew something was wrong. Hina ran to her daughter, worried.

"What's wrong, sweetie? You're so pale…" Her mother asked, worried. She laid her hand on the girl's forehead. "Your head is still warm…"

Kouji walked over with a thermometer. He checked her temperature and hissed with surprise. "Your fever has gotten worse. A _lot_ worse…"

"What?" Hina asked, grabbing the thermometer from her husband's hand. She gasped. Hikaru started to fall, her vision blackening. Her father caught her and carried her over to the couch.

"We need to call the doctor." Kouji turned to his wife. She ran to the phone.

An hour later, Hikaru lay in a hospital bed. She was coughing so hard her voice was nearly gone. Her parents were constantly hovering over her, making her cross. A doctor came in and drew her parents to the side. A few minutes later, they came over to her, smiling.

"Well, you should be happy to know that you'll get better." Kouji told his daughter.

"Oh joy." Hikaru rasped. A nurse came in and gave her some water. She drank it gratefully.

"You just caught a nasty cold. You'll be able to go home in a bit." Hina reassured her daughter.

"But first, you have visitors again." Kouji grinned and drew his wife out of the room. Right after they left, Hikaru's friends entered, worried looks on they're faces. Ryou walked right up to her bed.

"What happened? You seemed fine last night!" He asked, trying to find the answer on her face.

"The fever just got worse." Hikaru winced as her voice died in the middle of the sentence. Ryou grinned at her. Natsume, bless her soul, gave Hikaru some water. The three of them found seats, Natsume and Yukito pulling up chairs and Ryou sitting on her bed at her feet.

"So, caught a cold and it got worse?" Ryou teased. Hikaru grimaced at him.

"Yeah, and it's all your fault." she accused.

"_My_ fault?" Ryou said in mock surprise. He grinned and patted her legs. "You need to get better. There are going to be tests soon. Not to mention Kuhn and Atoli are worried about you."

"Well, I'll log in when I get home. But if they say _one word _about my voice, I'll PK them." Hikaru said, glaring at him.

They talked until a doctor announced that Hikaru was ready to go home. She was given some medicine and told to take it easy for the next few days. She left the hospital and fell asleep on the way home. She took a nap when she got home and woke, feeling refreshed.

Karumi logged onto The World and saw that she had received many emails telling her to get well.

"I didn't know I was this popular!" she said surprised. Her voice cracked and she grimaced. With a shrug, she went to Mac-Anu. There, she got a surprise.

"Welcome back, Karumi!" a group of people cried. At the front of the group was Haseo and Braizer. Karumi laughed and thanked them. She ran to the two male characters and hugged them.

"H-hey! Don't do that!" Haseo protested. Karumi laughed and released him. Several other guys asked for a hug, which she gave, feeling happy.

"Don't forget, you can't stay on that long." Braizer reminded her. Several people protested. "She needs to rest."

"Yes, yes, I know." Karumi said, wincing as her voice broke. Someone laughed. She grinned. "It's not funny."

"Actually, it is." Haseo grinned evilly at her. She kicked him. "Hey! No kicking!"

"They're so cute!" Someone called. They both turned to look for the source. The whole group was grinning at them.

Suddenly, Karumi started coughing. Haseo looked worried.

"You okay?" He asked. Braizer came over.

"Off. Now." He ordered her. Karumi glared at him and logged off.

Hikaru leaned back in her chair, trying to stop coughing. But her father heard and came in, a cup of tea in his hand. He handed it to her and watched her drink it all.

"No more games." He told her with a frown.

"Okay, okay." Hikaru sighed. She turned off her computer and stretched. She started coughing again, so she stopped. Her father handed her her medicine and ordered her to got to bed.

--A few days later--

"Hey, Hikaru! Welcome back to the world of the living!" Ryou called as she walked into the classroom. She made a face at him and sat down. He leaned forward and peered into her eyes. "What? Not going to say anything?"

"I can't." She tried to say. It came out as a breathy squeak.

Ryou raised his eyebrows and whistled, leaning back. "Hikaru the Quiet has lost her voice."

Their classmates, who had been listening, laughed. Hikaru glared at her friend and kicked him. "But not her kick!" Someone called. Hikaru grinned as Ryou rubbed the leg she had kicked. He glanced up at her.

"You didn't kick as hard as you usually do." He commented. Hikaru sniffed and looked out the window. In truth, she was felling kind of weak, but she wouldn't tell him that, even if she could.

"Hikaru!" Someone called. She turned and saw the leader of her Photography club heading in her direction. He stopped when he reached her desk.

"It's good to see you've gotten better! Now you can help out with the preparations for the festival." He grinned at her. Hikaru smiled back at him and gave him a thumbs up. He stared at her, confused.

"She lost her voice. Completely." Ryou informed him, dodging Hikaru's kick.

"I'm fine!" She said, her voice a small squeak. She crossed her eyes. The club leader shook his head.

"Well, good thing you don't really need your voice for taking pictures." He commented. "Anyways, do you think you can make it to the festival? I'd like you to take photos there, so we can post them on our website."

Hikaru nodded, grinning happily. She took out a piece of paper and wrote 'I'll ask my parents when I get home.'

"Cool. Let me know tomorrow." The club leader said. "I hope you get your voice back soon!"


End file.
